Under Your Carapace
by TRikiD
Summary: A female scorpion soldier named Thorn, who was part of Caz's small army, gets left behind in Nova Australis. She then finds herself having to bunk with a traitorous scorpion known as Stinger and his Kulipari friends, and neither of them are happy with that fact.
1. Chapter 1 - Plundering Failure

Under Your Carapace

Chapter 1 - Plundering Failure

When they got out of bed this morning, the group of rogue scorpions only sought to plunder any creature unfortunate enough to be wandering alone in the Outback. Lucky for them, they came across a small group of traveling geckos by midday, and it was even more in their favor since geckoes don't do so well without water for long periods of time.

This plundering mission would be a cinch, and the two leaders of the forgotten Scorpion Army warriors knew it. While Caz was the oldest and strongest of the group, his second-in-command was a young female scorpion named Thorn; she had just as much rage, cunning and agility as any other scorpion, but she showed her feminine side by wearing a dark purple loin cloth and golden ring on the left side of her head spikes.

Still, she showed all of her determination and dominance when she snatched a basket of barriers from an elderly gecko, even knocking them onto the ground with a whip of her claw. Even as the old gecko trembled and shakily begged her to let her go, Thorn threatened to end her life as she pinched her other claw close to her neck.

"Quickly! Take their food and water! Whatever you're able to carry!" Caz shouted demandingly, as the rest of the scorpions scurried after fleeing geckoes.

"Hmm, lucky for you, duty calls; otherwise, I would've ended your pathetic little life," Thorn chuckled darkly before returning to her commander's side.

"You can't always go killing everything in sight, Thorn," Caz pointed out.

The said female scorpion scoffed, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Always leave a few alive, so that they can spread the terrifying tale of our existence. But what's the point if we're never gonna be a real army again?"

"You never know. Fate could bring us the last scorpion that harbors the blood of one of our greatest lords that ever lived."

"Lord Marmoo's bastard son? Uh, in case you haven't noticed, the guy's dead and we've never seen this proclaimed 'son' once since the war ended. How do we know he even exists?"

"Trust me, he does exist. I knew Marmoo's old flame when she was still fighting with her own kind, and I heard that she gave birth to a child before joining the frogs. It can only be Marmoo's, even if it is illegitimate."

"Oh, so you _heard_ about his child. Great. I can sleep easy tonight knowing you've got incredible and completely trustworthy sources of information."

Caz glared and snarled down at the younger scorpion's sarcasm, but ignored punishing her for the sake of finishing ransacking the geckoes. But just when Caz was about to start helping out, a large, blue blur fell from the sky and threw one of the soldiers against a rock.

Followed by the blue object was a bright red one, but it suddenly turned as grey as stone and darted between two more scorpions. Not long after, darts started flying through the air, and pierced the other soldier's armor to make them drop the supplies they stole.

It wasn't until one of the soldiers ran up to the source of the darts that they realized the attackers were actually frogs, but not just any frogs. They were Kulipari. The soldier that ganged up on the spike-throwing, pink frog was just about to attack when something latched onto his waste. He turned around and was shocked to find it was another scorpion, but they had never seen him before.

The new scorpion yanked the soldier away, and spun him around before tossing him across the clearing. The soldier came to a skidding halt in front of Caz and Thorn, who were just as surprised to see a scorpion fighting alongside Kulipari.

"A scorpion protecting geckos and frogs? How pathetic," Thorn scoffed in absolute disgust.

"Skitter back to the desert, scorpion!" the large blue frog snapped.

"Really?" the good scorpion asked in disbelief.

The blue frog shrugged, "Been waitin' my whole life ta say that line. Don't ruin the moment."

"Whatever," the scorpion sighed and shook his head before turning his attention back to the enemy and raising his voice, "You, surrender now!"

"We're not scared of you!" the red frog added with confidence.

"With what you are, young one, you shouldn't be afraid of anything," Caz admitted with a respectful bow, and turned his attention to his small fleet, "We're outmatched! Return our plunder to these good wayfarers, for we submit."

"Who are you? Who do you follow?" the other scorpion questioned demandingly.

"My name is Caz, one-time sergeant of the Great Scorpion Army. Alas, we follow no one. Our leader, Marmoo, is long past—our only lord now is survival."

"If that's true, there's enough food and water in the village for everyone."

"Yeah, thanks but no thanks," Thorn huffed.

"Our lord is gone, but we do not seek to replace him with a frog, even if he is the Blue Sky King," Caz added.

With that, the rogue warriors walked forward and placed the stolen goods in front of the geckoes, but Thorn was reluctant. Caz had to give her a hard nudge against her back to convince her, and she sent cold glares towards the other scorpion and his frog friends the whole time she brought the berries back to its owner.

"Back to the desert, troops! Hungry and thirsty, but scorpions to the end! Fair well with your frog masters, young scorpling! I sense greatness in ya—I hope they do as well," Caz proudly announced, as the small army followed him back out into the desert.

The other scorpion merely scowled at Caz's last hushed statement, but his attention was drawn away from the old sergeant when he realized that Thorn still stood her ground.

"Still gonna let your pride be the death of you, too?" the other scorpion inquired with a cocked brow.

"Even if it is, I'll still live longer than you, traitor," Thorn spat, quite literally, in the other scorpion and frogs' direction before following her fellow troops back home.

Even though he begged himself to disagree, Stinger knew that at least half of what Caz and the female said was true.

"Stinger's one of us, so don't be causin' anymore trouble around here again!" Thuma shouted angrily.

"Take is easy. You're not like them," Tharta pointed out while placing a reassuring hand on Stinger's shoulder.

"I've been told I'm not much of a scorpion—maybe it's true," Stinger protested bitterly, as the memory of Jir's subtly racist lecture replayed in his mind.

Meanwhile, Thorn ran to catch up with the others, and she grimaced when something still confused her.

"You know we were much greater in numbers. We could've kicked their asses right then and their, so why didn't we?" Thorn hissed at Caz.

"If we're going to take down their little village, we'll have to be patient and smart about this. Just leave this to me. I'll have the perfect plan ready by tomorrow morning," Caz replied with a conniving grin.

* * *

**Yup, another new fanfic. I regret nothing.**

**Anyway, this is a fanfic for the Netflix show Kulipari: Dream Walker. If you've seen that show and you know what I'm talking about, this story will mainly focus on Stinger and Thorn, but I'll try my best to include other characters and plot devices. If you haven't seen the show, I suggest checking it out because it's pretty cool.**

**Also, check out my DeviantArt account if you wanna see my drawings of Thorn and Stinger.**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Saving the Enemy

Chapter 2 - Saving the Enemy

After returning to their dump of a home in the middle of the desert, Caz had already begun to scheme about how he was going to convince Stinger to become their lord. It wasn't until he gained an unexpected visitor in his tent that he received the inspiration he needed.

"So, Caz, what're we gonna do now since your last 'brilliant plan' failed ta feed everyone?" Thorn asked with sarcastic air quotes.

"I'm glad you asked. You might not know it, but that young lad who fought alongside the Kulipari could be of use to us," Caz explained confidently.

"How is a soft-carapace traitor like him going to help us?"

"You'll find out eventually. Until then, you should get some rest. We'll be heading back to their little village tomorrow."

Thorn merely scoffed and rolled her eyes, but was convinced enough to leave Caz's tent to find her own and rest for the night. And even though Thorn was still doubtful, Caz knew she would be the perfect bait.

* * *

Even after safely taking the traveling gecko group to Darel, the triplets and Stinger were instantly shooed out of the council before the gecko chief could explain his business for being there.

As always, the triplets were irritated when their older brother was too overprotective of them.

"'This is council business'," Tipi stated in a way to mock her older brother, "Ugh, Darel is such an older brother sometimes!"

"On the upside: Swimming hole's free," Tharta happily announced while pointing out the empty lake in the distance.

"Oh, yeah! Last one there's a stinking…uh…" Tipi began to cheer, but paused and glanced awkwardly back at Stinger when she realized what she was about to say.

"Scorpion?" Stinger grimly finished for her.

"I…did not say that."

"Might as well. I'm not gettin' in."

"C'mon, Stinger. _All_ Kulipari can swim," Thuma begged.

Stinger rolled his eyes, "Scorpions don't swim."

Tipi shrugged, "Whatever. Your loss!"

With that, Tipi dove in first, Thuma and Tharta following close behind. Stinger watched with his arms crossed from the shore, as the triplets played and splashed in the water. He would never admit it out loud, but Stinger sometimes he wished he was born a frog, or even a turtle, just so he could join in the fun.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Stinger thought about what he would do if he could play with other scorpions his age. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of juvenile scorpions in Nova Australis, given that there weren't a lot of females left to produce young; and the few young scorpions that they did have were far too young for someone like Stinger to play with.

With that, another strange idea came to mind, as the female scorpion soldier in Caz's group was pictured in Stinger's mind. She looked pretty close to being the same age as him, maybe a year or two older, and she seemed like the kind of gal who would know some interesting play fighting games. But there was still one problem…

_The one scorpion I meet that's my own age, and I don't even know her name, _Stinger thought in sorrowful realization.

Just then, the sound of a twig snapping pulled Stinger from his thoughts, causing him to whip his head around in high alert. The triplets were still in the water, so it couldn't have been one of them. And since it wasn't, who could it really be?

But as Stinger searched for the culprit, he stumbled upon a small dead tree sticking out of the ground like a sore thumb, and it easily gave him an idea as to how he could play with his frog friends.

Meanwhile, Thorn darted between bushes and trees to stay hidden since she was nearly caught when she stepped on particularly dry branch. When she was sure she was out of sight, she scurried back up a hill to where Caz was waiting. The two of them remained hidden there, and stared down as Stinger yanked the tree from out of the ground and threw it into the water.

"Kulipari!" Stinger cried out at the top of his lungs, as he used the log to surf across the water while his tail acted as a propeller to push him forward.

The triplets laughed and smiled at the fact that their scorpion friend could join their watery fun, and they all cheered him on when he won the race to the other side of the lake.

"Practically an adult, and he still acts like a larva," Thorn stated in disappointment.

"You've gotta admit, though, that dismount was pretty good," Caz admitted.

"I guess. But I'll ask again: Why is this guy suddenly our top priority?"

"I won't say too much, or else it'll spoil the surprise. But I can tell you that this young scorpion may have to potential ta be a lord."

"A lord?! Seriously?! He's way too scrawny ta be a lord!"

"You're smaller than him."

"I'm a female. I'm supposed ta be smaller."

"Fair enough. But my argument still stands. That boy is destined for great things. I just know it."

"Caz, there is no way in hell I'm letting that pathetic excuse for a scorpion be my leader."

"Oh, stop complaining. We both know you're just scared of what happens when we do get a new lord—especially ta you."

Thorn refused to look Caz in the eye at that statement, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

"I-I'm not scared, I just…don't wanna be given to the wrong guy."

"And you won't be if we're successful in convincing this scorpion ta join our army," Caz reassured with a grin.

"Uh-huh. And how're we supposed ta do that?" Thorn questioned doubtfully.

"He just needs a little nudge—and so do you."

Thorn barely had a split second to comprehend what Caz meant, as she was suddenly pushed down the hill. She helplessly rolled down the hill, and came crashing down into the lake below with a loud splash.

She struggled violently to stay above the surface, but her inability to swim only made her sink to the bottom. Her vision quickly began to darken, as she felt her body go numb and she reached as far as she could with her claws. She just needed something, anything to grab onto.

But there was nothing there.

Then, as if by a miracle, something darted into the water and aimed for Thorn. In a flurry of bubbles, the object engulfed Thorn and pulled her the surface with quickness and finesse. Mere seconds later, they breached the surface and she took in a lungful of air.

Thorn clenched her eyes shut and hacked up more water, as her savior brought her to the shore and laid her flat on her back. It took her a few moments to clear her vision, and she had to raise a claw to her eyes to block out the harsh sunlight.

It was then that she realized that her savior was none other than the large blue frog who attacked her and the other troops yesterday, as well as the other two brightly-colored frogs and their scorpion friend.

"Oh, no. Not you four again," Thorn groaned while letting her head fall back with a thump.

"You're welcome," Tharta added flatly.

"Need help?" Stinger questioned while offering a claw to help her stand.

"I don't want and/or need help from _you_, softie," Thorn growled and swatted Stinger's claw away, and grunted as she struggled to stand.

"You sure? You might be better off joining our little army," Tipi suggested.

Thorn couldn't help but chuckle at that, "An army of three weird frogs, and a scrawny scorpion? You guys are more like the start of a bad joke."

"And we saved you, so that means you're the punch line, girly," Stinger taunted with a smirk, but it faltered when Thorn suddenly lunged forward and pressed the tip of her tail to his neck.

"Don't call me 'girly'," Thorn snarled threateningly.

"Ok, I won't…" Stinger began with a shrug, but surprised her when he knocked her tail away with a claw, and swiped his tail against her legs to knock her down. Once she was back on the ground, Stinger pressed his own tail against her throat.

He then kneeled beside her, while grinning boastfully down at her, "…Girly."

"If they kiss, I'm gonna puke," Thuma muttered under her breath, but both scorpions easily heard her.

They blushed and scurried to get away from each other, refusing to look the other in the eye.

"So, what do we do with her?" Tharta spoke up, referring to Thorn.

"One thing's for sure, we're not letting her go," Stinger replied firmly.

"What?" Thorn and the triplets asked in unison, all of them equally shocked.

"She didn't do anything wrong," Tipi informed.

"Yeah, what she said!" Thorn quickly agreed.

"But you were poking around in places you shouldn't be. If you hadn't been stalking the village, none of this would've happened. And because we don't know what you're up to, I'd say the safest thing to do is take her to the authorities."

"Uh, Stinger. We _are_ the authorities," Tharta pointed out.

"And Darel and the other Kulipari already left," Tipi added.

"Then we'll take her to Jir," Stinger confirmed while scowling at Thorn, who sent an equally cold glare back at him.

* * *

**Thorn and Stinger's relationship is pretty much inspired by Diego and Shira's from the Ice Age movies. That being said, did you catch the Ice age: Continental Drift reference?**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Investigating

Chapter 3 - Investigating

In order to keep Thorn in line, Stinger bound her claws behind her back and connected them with her tail with some chains. The binds kept her from pinching or striking anyone, as they pulled her through the village to get to Jir's hut.

At the sight of a newcomer, villagers stopped and looked up from what they were doing to get a better look at Thorn. Since she couldn't fight back, all Thorn was capable of was glaring daggers and growling at the curious villagers.

"We're here," Stinger eventually spoke up when they reached their destination, and turned towards Tipi, "Tipi, would you, uh…?"

Tipi merely nodded before tapping her poison, throwing a large spike at a loose chain dragging behind Thorn and pinning it to the ground to keep her immobile.

"Seriously?" Thorn questioned with a sneer.

"Don't lie, you'd do the same thing ta us," Stinger argued before walking up to the door and knocking, "Jir, we've got someone out here for you ta meet!"

It wasn't long before the door opened, revealing the grumpy old mentor of the Kulipari. He raised a fist to his mouth to cough into it, and then scanned the new scorpion up and down.

"Who's this?" Jir simply asked.

"She won't tell us her name, but she was part of a scorpion bandit group that attacked the geckoes yesterday," Thuma explained.

"I see…" Jir hummed while approaching Thorn, and raised his walking stick up to her chin, causing her to lift it.

"The last time someone put their stick in my face, I tore it clean off," Thorn hissed through clenched teeth.

Jir couldn't help but chuckle, as he lowered his walking stick, "She's a feisty one—just like you, Stinger."

"I'm nothing like her. She's a ruthless killer," Stinger protested with a huff.

"I'm a scorpion. Killing's in our blood—not that you would know," Thorn mocked.

"Either way, we brought her here because she nearly drowned in the swimming hole, and we don't know what to do with her," Tipi explained.

"Well, you're definitely not letting her go," Jir replied flatly.

Thorn and the triplets once again replied with a synchronized, "What?!"

"Told ya," Stinger boasted.

"Why can't I just go home already?!" Thorn snapped.

"Because we can't trust you. If there's even a remote chance you're just going to go back and tell your leader about our village's weaknesses that you might've found out about while you were here, then letting you go free is the _last_ thing we should consider," Jir firmly explained, "That being said, I'm putting you four in charge of keeping an eye on her until Darel and the other Kulipari get back. They'll know what to do with her then."

"Wouldn't it be easier for everyone if you just put me out of my misery now?" Thorn groaned in irritation.

"Nah, death's too good for you, Killer," Stinger chuckled tauntingly.

Thorn was just about to snap back when a villager suddenly came running towards them, arms flailing in terror.

"Help, help! There's been an attack at the farm!" the frightened frog shouted.

"What happened?" Stinger was the first to ask, as he and the triplets approached the frog.

"That's just it, I-I don't know! One minute, the farmers are there, and the next, there's nothing but screams and huge tracks in the dirt!"

The four Kulipari-in-training exchanged concerned glances, knowing that as the village's only line of defense, they were required to investigate. But they glanced back at Thorn when they remembered their new prisoner-guarding duties.

"Looks like you're comin' with us, Killer," Thuma stated jokingly while yanking the spike out of the ground, and pulling Thorn along.

"Oh, goody. I get to play detective with the four stooges. I'm shaking with uncontainable excitement," Thorn responded with utmost sarcasm.

* * *

Once the Kulipari and their prisoner arrived at the crime scene, it was just as the panicked villager said: The farm was in ruins, and there were giant tracks left in the ground.

"…and then, the boas started…dancing," Thuma continued on while using her tracking skills to come to a conclusion. But everyone else cocked a brow in confusion.

"Wait, what? Are you sure?" Stinger spoke for everyone.

"Xava taught me ta read tracks, and these tracks say dancing."

"I think you need to go back to class," Tipi commented snidely.

"If anything, it looks more like they were involved in some murderous fandango," Thorn added.

"A fandango is still dancing," Thuma protested in a sing-song voice.

"Thuma's right—not about the dancing, that's silly," Stinger cut in while leaning down to get a closer look at the tracks, and Thuma sent him a side glare.

"So, what _were_ they doing?" Tharta questioned.

"I dunno, somethin' weird…"

"Go on. Say it," Thuma urged.

"Almost like, well…dancing."

"Called it!"

"And these tracks are huge. Definitely boas," Stinger continued and stood to follow the tracks to a large hole, "And they come from—underground. Looks like the same direction the geckoes came."

"Judging from what happened to these farmers, the geckoes got off lucky," Tipi stated in remorse, as she picked up a farmer's sun hat that was drifting in the wind.

"So, why here, why now?" Stinger inquired impatiently.

"I don't know—but I sure hope Darel gets back soon," Tharta pointed out in fear.

"Oh, sure. Let the Blue Sky King take care of everything. If he really is just a simple wood frog like I've heard, then we're all doomed," Thorn spoke up while rolling her eyes.

"I'd keep quiet if I were you. Since you and those other bandits were so set on stealing from the geckoes, how do we know you didn't just set a bunch of snakes loose ta try again?" Stinger asked and glared accusingly at Thorn.

"Yes, you're exactly right! I single-handedly gathered a bunch of big-ass snakes five times my size, and was able to tell them who and where to attack in the span of one night!" Thorn rambled on in sarcastic rage, "How the hell would I even control a bunch of snakes, you moron?!"

"No clue. But it's a possibility."

"No, it's _your_ way of looking for something to blame me for because you just wanna get rid of me!"

The triplets remained silent, and glanced at each other in fear as the scorpions' conversation grew louder.

"Fine! Yes, I want you gone! Now, are you satisfied?!"

"No."

With warning, Thorn whipped around and used the loose chain to whack Stinger right in the face. He grunted in pain and stepped back, clutching his head in pain.

"But that helped," Thorn chuckled darkly.

"Alright, that's it!" Tipi yelled before summoning her spikes again, and threw another one at the loose chain to keep it grounded. This time, though, it pulled on the chain so hard that Thorn lost her balance, and fell onto her back with a loud thud.

"Damnit," Thorn grunted.

"Now, are you gonna cooperate, or do have ta drag you back into town?" Thuma asked threateningly, as she stood over the female scorpion with her poison tapped and her skin hard as stone.

"I would rather die than be dragged through a largely-populated area after it looked like I just got hunted by a bunch of stupid frogs and a scorpion, who's even more stupid," Thorn deadpanned.

"I heard that!" Stinger called in offense.

"You were supposed to."

* * *

Nova Australis had started out fairly calm and peaceful that morning, but the tranquility was disrupted when Stinger, the triplets and their prisoner came running through the village. The Kulipari-in-training started screaming about snakes, instantly alerting the villagers.

Chief Effie started sputtering and squeaking something in response, to which Jir quickly translated, "She says step into Coorah's gunyah before you all cause a panic."

With that, everyone entered Coorah's hut, and waited for Jir to step inside before explaining. Just then, Chief Effie started squeaking something out of suspicion.

"I know it's early in the year for snakes, but it's true, they got the farmers!" Tharta quickly protested.

"We have to go investigate," Stinger instructed.

"I knew it! You want to go off and find where they're coming from, leaving the village completely unguarded!" Jir snapped while pointing an accusing finger, and paused afterwards to cough and take a drink from a water jug.

"No! I mean…I-I didn't think about that…I-," Stinger tried to search for the right words, but Jir cut him off.

"Oh, no, you didn't. You were just going to act without thinking. Just like a*cough cough*…" Jir began, but was once again interrupted with a terrible burst of coughs.

But Stinger could only assume what he was going to say, and he wasn't happy about it, "Scorpion?"

Jir tried to speak coherently, but he continued to hack violently, "I didn't*cough*…I didn't say*cough cough*…"

Thorn could only give the old frog a death glare, for she knew Jir was lying. She hated to agree with Stinger, but she was just as easily offended when someone spoke negatively about her race.

"No, you didn't have to!" Stinger snapped and rolled his eyes, "Fine. If you want us ta guard the village, we'll guard the village. C'mon, Trips! You, too, Killer!"

For once, Thorn didn't regret following Stinger, even when he yanked her chain to make her follow. And as they walked out of the hut, Thorn approached Stinger when an itching question came to mind.

"Why do you even listen to that wrinkly, old frog?" Thorn asked in a hushed voice, as to make sure the triplets wouldn't hear.

"Why did _you_ listen to Caz?" Stinger sneered.

"Touché."

"But if you must know, believe it or not, I'm a scorpion that's capable of feeling empathy—not that you'd know."

"Never needed to. And if anything, that explains why you're such a weakling."

"I'm not a weakling. I'm a hero, and that's more than you'll ever be."

Thorn scoffed, "If you're such a hero, then why don't you just kill me right now? After all, I'm just the big, bad, untrustworthy scorpion, right?"

"Because that's not what heroes do."

"Then what _do_ they do?"

Stinger then stopped in his tracks, and he stood in front of Thorn and looked her directly in the eye, "They give people second chances."

Thorn could only stare back in disbelief, "You're kidding. You're gonna try and _redeem_ me?"

"If you really are worth saving, I might not have to. Now, c'mon. We've gotta get you into a holding cell for the night."

"Well, that's just wonderful. I get to sleep in a cold, stony cell."

"You're free ta bunk with me and the triplets."

"Nevermind. Jail sounds nice."

* * *

**Who likes stupid banter between two characters who are obviously gonna fall in love with each other later on?**

**...I do, actually.**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Our Differences

Chapter 4 - Our Differences

The sky was clear, and the moon shown brightly while stars twinkled. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of Nova Australis were all asleep, instead of enjoying the beautiful and peaceful night. But there was one creature who was still awake.

Despite the holding cell she was placed in had a rather comfortable cot to sleep on, Thorn couldn't seem to fall asleep. It was likely because of the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about Caz, and about how he pushed her into the lake.

Caz was the one person Thorn thought she could trust, and he left her to drown. Whatever the old scorpion was planning, Thorn was starting to question it more and more.

And speak of the devil…

"You look comfortable," a familiar voice spoke, and it nearly made Thorn jump out of her carapace in surprise. After turning around, though, she was instantly furious when she saw none other than Caz standing on the other side of the bars.

"How dare you show your sleazy face after leaving me to drown?" Thorn hissed while pinching the bars in anger.

"Settle down, Thorn. I knew those Kulipari were gonna save you anyway, and it was all part of the plan for them ta take you in," Caz protested nonchalantly.

"Against my own will?"

"How else was I going ta make it look like you were abandoned?"

Thorn opened her mouth to protest, but failed to find the right words and stayed silent.

Eventually, she sighed and shook her head, "I'm guessing getting me alone was part of your 'plan'."

Caz nodded, "You guessed correctly."

"Then, what're you doing here?"

"I've come ta tell ya what you've gotta do next. I need you ta get as close as ya can ta Stinger, and make him think he's more scorpion than frog."

"That's because he's not a frog."

"But he'll be as soft as one if he stays here with 'em. If he's gonna be our lord, he's gonna have ta toughen up, and that's where you come in. Show him what it means ta be a _true_ scorpion."

"I'm not gonna try and be his friend, Caz."

"Ya don't need to. Ya just gotta get under his carapace."

"Uh-huh. And exactly are _you_ supposed to be doing while I'm stuck here?"

"Oh, I think I'll let you figure that out on your own. That bein' said, I've done what I've come ta do, so I'll just be leavin'."

"Hold on, I'm not finished with you!" Thorn called out and pushed against the bars, but her yelling fell upon deaf ears.

Caz turned away and disappeared into the night, much to Thorn's dismay. She grunted in aggravation, and started banging against the bars in an attempt to escape. The bars wouldn't break under Thorn's force, despite her limbs and tail no longer being restrained.

Thorn continued to thrash around in her cell for what seemed like hours, and she finally gave up when she had exhausted herself. The sun had just barely started to peek over the horizon when she settled down, so she knew there was no point in trying to sleep anymore.

"Hey."

The voice was calm and new, but Thorn snarled and whipped around, preparing to fight since she was still very much irritated. A few seconds later, Thorn realized that it was Stinger who was playing her a visit this time, and he held a wooden bowl in his claws.

"Easy, Killer. It's just water," Stinger calmly pointed out, as he slid the bowl under the bars.

"I don't need anything from you," Thorn argued bitterly, as she pushed the bowl back out.

"Fine. Die of thirst. That'll really show me."

Stinger then turned to leave, but Thorn suddenly spoke up again.

"Wait! …I'll take it."

He carefully pushed the bowl back in.

"Thank you," Thorn stated flatly.

"Ya know, you have a way of saying 'thank you' that makes it sound like 'drop dead'," Stinger deadpanned.

"It's a gift," Thorn added playfully, "And you're pretty soft, for a scorpion."

Stinger scowled at her in annoyance, "Excuse me? I am _not_ soft. I happen to be a fearless warrior."

"Oh, Stinger-buddy!" the high-pitched and cheery voice of Tipi rang through the air, as she skipped up to Stinger and threw a flower crown onto his head, "I made you another flower crown!"

Tipi paused and winked at Thorn, "He keeps losing them."

With a giggle, Tipi left with a peppy skip, leaving Stinger to cringe at the crown while Thorn grinned with great joy.

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to see why you're not in an army," Thorn taunted.

"Hey, I chose to leave my army!" Stinger snapped.

"Congratulations, warrior princess. So did I."

Stinger's expression softened at that, "Really?"

"What?"

"N-Nothing, I just…I know what it's like to leave everything that's expected of you behind."

Thorn rolled her eyes, "Oh, great. What? Are we gonna braid each other's tails now?"

"Funny. Really funny," Stinger began sarcastically, "Can I tell you what the difference is between you and me?"

"I wouldn't still be wearing that crown?"

Stinger's eyes widened in realization, as he yanked the flower crown off and tossed it away, much to Thorn's amusement.

"No! We both might've wandered out of our old armies, but at least _I_ didn't trade one army for another. I got something more," Stinger argued firmly.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Thorn asked out of curiosity.

"A family."

"Scorpions don't do families."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I don't know. Maybe spending so much time with these frogs has softened your poor, little brain."

Stinger grabbed the bars in annoyance, "Say what you want about me, but it's not gonna work."

"What won't work?"

"You tryin' ta butter me up, so I'll let you leave. And even though I still want you gone, I'm can't now 'cause I've got some questions for you."

Thorn cocked a brow, "And they are?"

"Caz stopped by last night. He said Marmoo's back."

Thorn's eyes widened in surprise. She wanted to ask why Caz was talking to them, and that he didn't tell her. But she decided to stay quiet about it, as to not raise any suspicion and ruin Caz's plan.

"What?" was all she could say.

"I was hoping that since you were a rogue soldier, too, you might know something about it," Stinger added with hope.

Thorn shook her head, "Well, you got out of bed early for nothing. This is the first time I'm hearing this news, and I'm just as surprised as you are."

"Well then, I guess you won't mind comin' with us ta look into it."

With that, Stinger unlocked the door and opened it, stepping aside to let Thorn out. But she remained in one spot, and stared at him in confusion.

"What? You're not gonna chain me up again?" Thorn deadpanned.

"Nah, it's too much work. Besides, you could've tried attacking me through the bars earlier, but you didn't," Stinger replied with a shrug, "All I ask is that you stay where I can see you."

"Whatever you say, Mom."

Stinger found Thorn's undying sarcasm, but he fought his urge to smile as he walked with her. And as they walked, Thorn still couldn't see whatever Caz was seeing in Stinger to make him think he could be a lord.

_At this rate, there's no hope for him…or me, _Thorn pondered.

* * *

Once the sun had risen some more to really begin the day, the two scorpions and the triplets rushed to Jir's hut to tell him what they found out about Marmoo.

"Jir, Jir!" Tipi called out, as she was running ahead of everyone else.

"Tipi, wait!" Thuma shouted at her sister.

"Yeah, hang on, Tipi!" Tharta yelled in an attempt to make her slow down, but to no avail.

"I honestly don't understand how you keep up with these guys on a daily basis," Thorn commented between huffs.

"It's not easy, but it's a hell of a workout," Stinger panted.

Tipi soon reached Jir's hut and reached for the door to knock, but Tharta was quick to grab her hand.

"Jir's not feeling well. We shouldn't just barge in yelling," Tharta explained in a hushed voice.

"But Marmoo's alive!" Tipi argued while struggling to pull herself free from her brother's grasp.

"It's a rumor! One we heard from Caz. And let's face it, Caz is a…" Stinger began reassuringly, but failed to find the right words for the last part.

"Scorpion?" Thuma guessed.

Stinger scowled at that, "I was gonna say shady character, but I see where your head's at."

"And no one talks crap about Caz except me, so watch it, Red," Thorn hissed threateningly at Thuma.

"C'mon, guys, you know what I meant," Thuma quickly argued.

"And this isn't about you. It's about Marmoo, the most dangerous Scorpion Lord ever, maybe being alive and the Kulipari not being here," Tipi added with fear.

"I agree with Tipi. Jir should be told—but quietly," Tharta pointed out.

"Is this what we're gonna do?" Stinger scoffed, "Go running ta that grumpy, old frog every time we hear something scary?"

"I hate to say it, but Softie here's right. Where I'm from, we wouldn't rely on our elders ta solve a problem because we'd go and take care of it ourselves," Thorn explained while bringing her claws together in a punching motion.

"Well, this isn't some scorpion army, and we don't know what else to do," Thuma stated firmly.

With that, Thorn didn't argue anymore and Tipi tried pulling on the handle to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"It won't open!" Tipi grunted.

"Maybe it's locked?" Tharta suggested.

"Jir doesn't have a lock. His _personality_ keeps everyone out," Stinger stated mockingly.

Thorn let out a small chuckle at that, "Ain't that the truth?"

Tipi continued to grunt loudly, and pull as hard as she could on the handle.

"No, it's blocked with something heavy. Help me push," Tipi instructed while bracing herself against the door, Thuma and Tharta quickly doing the same.

Stinger merely rolled his eyes, "Hey, if he wants privacy, then we should leave."

"Yeah, I'd hate ta walk in on an old man's private time. Trust me, it's not a pretty picture," Thorn added with a grimace.

Just when the scorpions turned to leave, the triplets slowly but surely managed to push the door open and peer into the dark hut.

"Something's wrong. I can feel it," Tipi panted after pushing so much, and she screamed in terror when she looked down to find Jir lying motionless on the ground.

* * *

They managed to bring Jir out of unconsciousness, and bring him to Coorah's medical hut to be taken care of. But even when he was lying down with a hot rag on his forehead, the violent coughing didn't cease.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine…just old," Jir tried to reassure them, as Coorah rubbed the hot rag against his forehead, "I was a Kulipari once, and don't anyone forget it—especially you!"

Stinger turned to face the old frog at that, realizing Jir was talking about him when he pointed his walking stick at him.

"We could dump you back home," Stinger muttered flatly.

"No, he'd better stay here," Coorah pointed out.

"Why? Is he sick?" Tharta questioned.

"What gave it away? His sudden inability to stand on his own, or the fact that he's been coughing his lungs out since yesterday?" Thorn rambled sarcastically.

"He isn't just sick," Coorah cut in, "He's been poisoned—deliberately."

"What?" the triplets gasped.

"Who would…?" Thuma began to speak, but stopped when she glanced at Stinger and Thorn. It wasn't long before the other two frog siblings caught on, and they gasped in realization.

Mere seconds later, both Thorn and Stinger noticed their accusing stares.

"Oh, come on!" the two scorpions snapped in unison.

"You really think I'd waste venom on a shriveled piece of meat like him?" Thorn asked angrily.

"And you think that just because Jir was pissing me off lately, I'd poison him?" Stinger added with just as much aggravation.

"Well, no, but someone did," Tipi replied softly while shrugging.

"If we were playing detective, you did have motive, means and opportunity," Thuma told Stinger.

"After all, you're a-," Tharta added, only for Stinger to cut him off.

"Scorpion."

"That's all you frogs ever did, blame it on the scorpions. I'm surprised you didn't make a sport out of it," Thorn huffed in annoyance.

With a loud grunt, Jir sat up and whacked both scorpions on the tail with his walking stick, instantly getting their attention.

"Moldy mint-flavored mud worms, stop it, all of you!" Jir boomed, "Yes, you're scorpions. And yes, I've been hard on your, Stinger. But I train you for one simple reason: I sense Kulipari in you. I still do. And that means you would never stoop to a cowardly, despicable act like poisoning."

Although Stinger felt reassured and smiled at Jir's words, Thorn couldn't believe what she had just heard. Stinger was Kulipari this whole time, and Caz never thought to tell her.

_Why would he hide something like that from me? _Thorn thought in great befuddlement.

"You might get mad enough to punch me someday, and I'm not saying I wouldn't deserve it. But whoever did this, it wasn't you—neither of you," Jir continued with a soft smile, "And we all know it—right?"

Everyone else muttered half-baked agreements.

"Now, give us the room, you three, scram. Stinger and Killer will be right out," Jir instructed with a wave of his walking stick, and the triplets left with disappointed sighs.

Coorah stood to look for the right medicine, which gave Stinger some room to sit on the foot of Jir's bed when he motioned for him to take a seat. Thorn refused to show any kind of sentiment, though, so she instead leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Tipi's probably listening," Stinger pointed out.

"Eh, it doesn't matter. Just wanted to say one thing," Jir began with a shrug, "It's why I know neither of you would do something like this. You, Stinger, are too much of a scorpion—in all the best ways."

"Never heard someone put it that way," Thorn admitted.

"And you, Killer? You may not be best friends with frogs, but I sense that you might have potential to be an honorable warrior," Jir went on while pointing at Thorn.

She merely looked away at that, "Don't get your hopes too high. I'm just a prisoner, remember?"

"Of course."

"Maybe you're not so bad, after all. I mean, you are a good teacher—for a smelly, old frog," Stinger added jokingly, "We good?"

Jir nodded and smiled, "We're good."

Thorn felt the slightest twinge of jealousy at Jir and Stinger's teacher-student relationship, just barely wishing she could have something remotely similar with Caz. After all, Caz wasn't just her higher ranking officer, he was her only family.

But if Caz was a lost cause, then maybe she should look elsewhere. Starting with Jir.

"Just for the record, old man," Thorn eventually spoke up, "My name's actually Thorn."

"Well, it's nice to finally make your acquaintance, Thorn," Jir stated while extending a hand to shake, to which Thorn awkwardly grabbed it and grimaced at the unfamiliar gesture.

"Glad that's settled," Coorah cut in flatly while examining Jir's water jug, "In any case, this isn't scorpion venom. It was in Jir's water jug. Scorpion venom doesn't work if you drink it."

"Then what kind is it?" Stinger inquired.

Coorah sighed, "I'm not sure yet. Something plant-based. I'd need bunyip flower to even know how to treat it. Bunyips are rare, I've never even seen it."

"If you need bunyip, we'll get it," Stinger stated firmly, "How do we find it?"

"All I know is that it needs extreme heat," Coorah began to explain, as she rolled out a scroll with pictures and descriptions of the bunyip, "It's almost crystalline, heavy with minerals. Grandmother found some once on the Eucalyptus Hills after a fire, but…"

Coorah was then interrupted when Jir started coughing again, but it was much weaker after he had already lost so much energy.

"But we may not have much time. He's getting worse."

With that, Stinger stood and promised to find the bunyip flower, but he was greeted with a toppling tower of triplets when he pulled the doorway's curtain aside.

"Get all that?" Stinger asked flatly.

"Uh-huh. Eucalyptus Hills," Thuma replied with determination.

"We're on it!" Tharta added.

"Then let's move out!" Stinger announced while sprinting off, the triplets following close behind.

Thorn considered staying behind instead of going on a hunt for a plant, but she knew this was her best chance at gaining Stinger's trust like Caz asked. So, she sighed heavily and ran after them.

"So, your name's 'Thorn', huh?" Tipi asked with excitement once she caught up.

"Yeah, what about it?" Thorn inquired with a glare.

"I liked 'Killer' more, but 'Thorn' works, too," Thuma admitted with a smile, "I'd say it's time we were properly introduced."

Thorn let out a much longer and louder sigh, unable to recall sighing up for learning the odd names of multiple weirdly-colored frogs.

* * *

**Yay. Another Ice Age reference, and a much more obvious one at that.**

**Also, holy shit! This chapter was way longer than I thought it would be!**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	5. Chapter 5 - New Experiences

Chapter 5 - New Experiences

While on their way to Eucalyptus Hills, the triplets tried their best to help Thorn memorize all of their names. But it wasn't easy since she wasn't used to their kind of names, and also because she didn't really care.

"Can't I just refer to you by your colors? It'd be easier for everyone if that's how it worked," Thorn huffed as she and the others climbed a steep slope to get to the top of the hill.

Soon after, they reached the top, and saw that there were countless stumps of trees that have been burnt in the past.

"That was…a lot of work," Thuma panted after being the last one to reach the top.

"I don't see any flowers, though," Tharta pointed out worriedly.

"Yeah, that's a problem," Stinger muttered under his breath, also failing to see any bunyip flowers anywhere.

"Plus, we've left the village undefended. Suppose Caz and his scorpion bandits show up," Tharta went on.

"Ya mean me?" a deep voice asked slowly, causing Tipi and Tharta to react in fear and tap their poison; Tharta grew many feet and bumped his head on a tree branch, and Tipi was stuck to a tree when he spikes suddenly impaled its bark.

"Easy, mighty ones. I surrender," Caz calmly stated, as he and the few scorpions that followed him refrained from attacking.

"I have got to stop leaning against trees," Tipi grunted while peeling herself from the tree.

"Caz, are you following us?" Stinger questioned in suspicion.

"Actually, I was gonna ask you the same thing. In the last several days, we've seen you five more than we'd like," Caz explained flatly, "Have you come to destroy us?"

"We wouldn't do that!" Stinger quickly stated.

"Ah, it's nothin' ta be ashamed of. Easy prey is the best kind. It would be _very_ scorpion of ya."

"We don't need 'easy prey'," Tharta interrupted with a scowl, "I-I mean, we don't need _any_ prey."

Caz cocked a brow, "Then what are ya doin' here?"

"We're tryin' ta look for bunyip flower," Thorn informed.

"We were told it grew here," Thuma added.

"Ah, bunyip! Yup. Grows after a major wildfire. But as you can see from these stumps, the last fire here was many years ago," Caz pointed out while referring to the tree stumps, which were clearly no long covered in soot.

"Oh, mudworms," Tipi swore beneath her breath.

"That means we…" Thuma began frightfully.

"Failed," Tharta finished for her with a sigh.

"No! We can't give up now. Jir's life is at stake," Stinger snapped in retaliation.

"Oh, is _that_ why ya need bunyip?" Caz chuckled in surprise, "Well then, it grows in the Fire Peaks."

"How do _you_ know?" Thuma asked while squinting her eyes.

"I've seen it. Anyway, if that's all ya need, we'll be going."

Caz tried to turn and leave, but Stinger halted his efforts by bringing the tip of his tail to the old sergeant's throat. All of Caz's soldiers, the triplets and even Thorn gawked at Stinger's sudden burst of dominance.

"Hold on, Caz. We need the bunyip to save a life, and you know where it is. You're gonna show us where it is in case this is some kind of trap. Or, by the Lords of the Carapace, I'm gonna go all scorpion on your ass," Stinger seethed through clenched teeth, never taking his eyes off of Caz to make sure he got his point across.

"Stinger!" Tipi exclaimed in shock.

"This is not the way! Remember your Kulipari training!" Tharta begged to his scorpion friend, but Stinger held his tail in place.

"Oh, I beg ta differ. This—_this_ is somethin' a scorpion can respect," Caz proudly admitted.

"What?" Stinger asked.

"You're showing your alpha side, dummy. No scorpion can resist following a leader who's brave enough to fight for dominance," Thorn explained with an appeased smile.

"And since you didn't hesitate to show your power, it would be my honor ta guide you on your quest. Please, follow me," Caz added while leading the way.

But as they walked, Thorn and Caz's words rolled around in Stinger's mind.

"You really think I'm a leader?" Stinger quietly asked Thorn.

"I'd be lying if I said no. You may be soft, but if you keep this up, you might end up half as tough as me," Thorn admitted jokingly, to which Stinger couldn't help but smile.

Hearing such praise, however reluctant it may be, really boosted Stinger's confidence in becoming a true scorpion. And even though she ticked him off a lot, Stinger liked the fact that a strong female scorpion like Thorn was impressed even more.

* * *

The hike to Fire Peaks didn't take too long, as the sun was only beginning to set when they reached the land of active volcanoes. But even though they knew they were finally in the right place, they still had to find the flower without getting burned alive.

"This is going to take forever!" Tipi cried out when fireballs began to rain down.

"Jir doesn't have forever! Keep it moving, Tipi!" Stinger barked while picking up the pace.

"Look! More snake tracks!" Thuma shouted and pointed down, where there were even more strange tracks in the ground below.

"Even out here? That's probably a bad sign," Tharta whimpered with fear.

"Here comes a worse one!" Tipi shrieked while pointing up, as even more fireballs began to fall. One ball of fire knocked a large boulder out of place, and it was starting to tumble down towards them.

"Take cover!" Stinger shouted demandingly.

Unfortunately, even though everyone else scattered, one scorpion soldier wasn't fast enough when the boulder came crashing down onto him. When the dust cleared, all that was left was a huge hole the ground where the boulder landed.

"Caz, what're you doing?! That area is totally a trap!" Stinger cried out.

"Oh, they don't really listen ta me. I'm not a lord," Caz simply stated.

It only took a second for Stinger to register what Caz meant, and he sighed in defeat when he knew what he had to do.

"You, and you! Get out of the open! Move against the cliff for protection! Do it now!" Stinger rapidly gave out orders at the top of his lungs, and everyone, including the scorpion soldiers, did as he said.

With that, Stinger turned towards the slope and raised his claws, "That's more like it! Now, climb!"

Without hesitation, they all followed him up the hill, making sure to keep low and avoid anymore falling balls of fire. And as they climbed, Caz beamed in true happiness at how easily Stinger was able to take control.

"I gotta admit, Caz. He's stronger than I thought he'd be," Thorn reluctantly whispered to Caz.

"I told ya, didn't I? Just you wait, he'll be perfect for the position of scorpion lord," Caz added with confidence.

Thorn rolled her eyes, "I never said I was excited for that part."

"Never expected you ta be."

Eventually, they reached the top of the slope, and continued to dart around and dodge fireballs. But when Stinger stopped and turned around to make sure everyone was still keeping up, he noticed there were two scorpion soldiers falling behind.

"Oh, for-! Hey, you two, get over here and take cover! Nobody falls today!" Stinger boomed demandingly, to which the soldiers sprinted up to him before they were nearly crushed by a large fireball.

"The way those shellheads behave, it's a wonder there are any scorpions left in the Outback," Stinger muttered in annoyance.

"Actually…" Caz began with a shrug.

"About that…" Thorn awkwardly cut in.

It took a moment for Stinger to realize what they were trying to say, and his eyes soon widened, "You mean…you guys are _it_?"

"Well, there may be others, but it's not easy ta get scorpions ta do what's good for 'em."

"Tell me about it," Tharta chuckled while playfully elbowing Stinger's side, as he and the others continued up the hill.

"Hey!" Stinger called out in offense once he figured out what Tharta meant.

"Point is, we need a lord. Someone ta give us direction, a sense of duty. Without that, we wander around like so many ants," Caz went on after Stinger caught up.

"And we haven't really had the resources or security to repopulate, anyway," Thorn reluctantly pointed out, refusing to make eye contact with Stinger.

"What kind of duty and recourses are you looking for?" Stinger curiously inquired.

"If I knew that, I'd be a lord, wouldn't I?" Caz chuckled before raising a claw towards a pool of lava, "Ah, there's where the bunyip flower grows."

"Wha-? A flower grows _there_?" Thuma asked in disbelief.

"As I said, the bunyip needs heat ta bloom. The more intense the flame, the more potent the flower," Caz firmly explained.

"And you know this how?" Stinger questioned in suspicion.

"We scorpions wandered the Outback for years. We know all the plants and their uses. It's how we've survived."

"Speaking of survival, how are we supposed to survive _this_?" Tipi interrupted with doubt, as she stared down into the deep pit of lava.

"Only one answer: We do it together," Stinger replied.

"Well spoken, young Stinger. And down there is what we've been seekin': The bunyip," Caz complimented while pointing a claw towards the pit, where a single stem of glittering leaves grew just a few feet away from the lava.

"That's practically to the lava, and there's no handholds!" Thuma gasped in realization.

"I have this doomed feeling," Tharta muttered worriedly.

"Stinger, you've got a plan, right?" Tipi quickly asked.

"I've got somethin' even better: A Kulipari who throws spikes," Stinger answered with a smile.

With that, he explained his plan to make Tipi throw spikes into the wall, which would act as secure footing for them to get close enough to the flower. Thuma then tapped her poison to turn to stone, and acted as an anchor to hold Tharta; Tharta then used his own poison to grow bigger and lower Tipi far enough for her to threw spikes along the walls.

"That should do it!" Tipi shouted once there were enough spikes.

"Can you throw any from that ledge to the flower?" Stinger called down, to which Tipi threw one more spike next to the bunyip. But it combusted in seconds, and its ashes were blown away by the wind.

"It's too hot!" Tipi gasped as Thuma started to pull her and Tharta back to safety, "I'm surprised the flower doesn't burn."

"It must be almost pure mineral crystals," Tharta added in amazement.

"Whatever it's made of, it's what we need for Jir! Come on!" Stinger instructed firmly, as he and the scorpion soldiers carefully began to walk down the spikes.

By the time he reached the last spike, Stinger was certain that the frogs wouldn't survive, "If you come down here—well, I bet you'll smell delicious, but you won't survive! Even Thuma's not fireproof! It's hotter than a cook pot down here!"

"What about you?!" Tipi called down in concern.

"Scorpion carapace! It's not comfortable, but we can take it for a few minutes! Ok, here's the plan…"

"Hold it, don't start without me!" Thorn suddenly shouted, as she started to make her way down as well.

"I thought you didn't care about Jir," Stinger pointed out with a smile, excited to see Thorn put some effort in helping.

"I'm not here to protect Jir's life," Thorn protested with a knowing smirk, to which Stinger nodded in acceptance.

With that, Stinger told the soldiers to begin forming chain for Caz to be lowered and reach for the flower. But try as he might, the flower was still multiple feet away.

"I can't reach it!" Caz shouted back up at Stinger.

"Didn't expect you to! I got this!" Stinger shouted back while climbing over the other scorpions, and slipped down the chain to hang from Caz's grasp upside-down.

Stinger grunted in aggravation, as he strained his arms and ignored the intense head, "Almost there…almost got it…"

But just when Stinger was about to grab the flower, a violent volcanic eruption shook the pit and caused Caz to lose his grip on Stinger's legs. He then slipped from his grasp, to which the triplets screamed in terror. Luckily, Stinger dug his claws into the wall and grabbed the plant to break his fall.

"Ow, this is warm! Really warm! And about to get hot!" Stinger rambled in pain.

But refusing to let the young scorpion die, one of the soldiers slid down the wall and grabbed Stinger's arm. He then threw Stinger upwards with all of his might, but pushed himself off to give him enough momentum. Caz then caught Stinger under his arms, and the latter stared down in utter horror as the scorpion soldier burned in the lava.

"He sacrificed himself…to save me," Stinger eventually spoke up, but his voice was still meek from shock.

"He did what he considered his duty, as a scorpion," Caz calmly reassured.

"Don't act like you wouldn't have done the same thing," Thorn pointed out, and began to climb up. But one of the spikes suddenly slipped out of its hole in the way, and she failed to grab another to catch herself.

Thorn cried out in terror, as she plummeted towards the glowing and merciless lava below. But just when she closed her eyes and braced for inevitable death, she felt a sudden jolt and no scorching heat came to burn.

"What the…?" Thorn whimpered as she turned her head, and gasped when she realized Stinger had grabbed her arm, "W-Why did you save me?"

"Don't act like you wouldn't have done the same thing," Stinger threw her own words back at her with a grin, to which her eyes widened at the irony.

But with enough excitement and death, the remaining scorpions climbed out of the pit, and the triplets were anxiously waiting for them at the top.

"Are you alright?" Thuma was the first to ask.

"I don't know about alright, Thuma—but we were successful," Stinger spoke softly, unable to forget the image of the soldier falling into the lava.

* * *

Night was just starting to fall when they left the Fire Peaks, and Stinger and the triplets were more than grateful for Caz's help, especially when he showed them the way back home.

"Your village is just over the next hill. Good luck!" Caz stated while pointing a claw behind them.

"The bunyip will help Coorah treat Jir, Caz," Thuma pointed out with a smile.

"And for that, we thank you," Tharta added gratefully.

"I'll even pass on beating you up," Tipi giggled.

"Caz, seriously. Don't leave," Stinger begged, "The village has room for a few more scorpions. There's fresh food, fresh water…"

"Ah, it's not the scorpion life. Better ta stay in the Outback, seekin' our path. Seekin' a new scorpion lord," Caz calmly rejected his offer.

"But you won't survive!"

"Maybe. But while we live, we live as scorpions. And there is _nothin'_ greater."

Caz and the remaining soldiers left at that, but Caz stopped and glanced at Stinger, "Perhaps today, you had a chance ta realize that, eh, Stinger?"

Stinger deeply pondered what Caz said, for he knew he was right. Even with all of his exciting Kulipari training, Stinger had never in his life been so close to the brink of death…and it was exciting.

"Aren't you going with them?" Thuma asked Thorn, which pulled Stinger out of his thoughts.

"I would, but I'm still your prisoner, aren't I?" Thorn replied with a sly grin.

"Well, you don't have to be a prisoner, or even our enemy," Tipi added while smiling brightly.

"If not that, then what am I?"

"A friend," Stinger replied with a sincere smile, and even placed an assuring claw on Thorn's shoulder.

Thorn chuckled lightly, "A friend, huh? Never had one of those—and I don't know whether to be scared or excited."

"As sentimental as this is, we've got a dying frog to get back to!" Tharta cut in impatiently, and everyone gasped when they remembered Jir's life being at stake.

As they began their trek back home, Thorn failed to ignore the fact that Stinger and the triplets considered her a friend. After first meeting as enemies and taking her in a prisoner, she was just surprised that they were so quick to forgive her.

_These guys are so sweet, it's sickening, _Thorn mentally chuckled to herself.

* * *

**Well, look at that! I got through a whole chapter without throwing in any Ice Age references...I think. I'm so proud of me.**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


End file.
